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    Award Winning Abstract Presentations: Session 1

    Saturday, February 28, 2026
    7:00 AM - 8:30 AM MST

    Presentations:

    • 7:00 AM - 7:03 AM MST
      Welcome and Introduction
    • 7:03 AM - 7:06 AM MST
      Implementation of Value-Based Spine Care Delivery at an Academic Health System: A Descriptive Analysis

      Presenting Author: Collin M. Labak, MD – University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University SOM

    • 7:06 AM - 7:09 AM MST
      Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy is Associated with Decreased Postoperative Opioid Utilization Compared to Traditional Microdiscectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

      Presenting Author: Darius Ansari, MD – University of Wisconsin

    • 7:09 AM - 7:12 AM MST
      Benchmarking AI Across the Spine Administrative Workflow

      Presenting Author: Rohaid Ali, MD – Mass General Brigham/Harvard Medical School

    • 7:12 AM - 7:15 AM MST
      Intraoperative Cell Salvage in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: An Instrumental Variable Analysis of Efficacy and Outcomes

      Presenting Author: Syed I. Khalid, MD – University of Illinois at Chicago

    • 7:15 AM - 7:18 AM MST
      Single Position Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Comparative Analysis of Prone Versus Lateral Decubitus Positioning for Safety and Efficiency

      Presenting Author: Sree M. Vemu, MD – Houston Methodist Hospital

    • 7:18 AM - 7:21 AM MST
      Patients Receiving GLP-1 Agonists Have Reduced Odds of Pseudoarthrosis, PE, DVT, and Revision Following Posterior Cervical Fusion Surgery

      Presenting Author: Abhinav K. Sharma, MD – University of California, Irvine

    • 7:21 AM - 7:24 AM MST
      Improved Immediate Postoperative T4-L1 Hip Axis with Use of Pre-Contoured Rods Compared with Surgeon Contoured Rods in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

      Presenting Author: Sahir S. Jabbouri, MD – Yale School of Medicine

    • 7:24 AM - 7:27 AM MST
      Cost-Effectiveness of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Grade 1 Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A 5-year Quality Outcomes Database Study

      Presenting Author: Farhan Khan, MD – Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    • 7:27 AM - 7:30 AM MST
      Code Spine: A Novel Protocol Pioneering a Faster Path to Spinal Cord Injury Treatment

      Presenting Author: Erin Miller, MD – Carolinas Medical Center

    • 7:30 AM - 7:33 AM MST
      Biomechanical Impact of Screw Length and Addition of Posterior Fixation to Fatigue Failure in Worst-Case Conditions for Anterior Cervical Fixation Models

      Presenting Author: Jaskaran Singh, MD – University of Manitoba

    • 7:33 AM - 7:36 AM MST
      What is The Time Frame of Clinically Meaningful Improvement in Surgical Decompression for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy? 5-Year Follow-Up of The QOD Spine CORe

      Presenting Author: Connor D. Berlin, MD – University of Virginia Department of Neurosurgery

    • 7:36 AM - 7:39 AM MST
      Prior Lower Extremity Joint Replacement Effect on Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MSSIC) Study

      Presenting Author: Anisse N. Chaker, MD – Henry Ford Hospital

    • 7:39 AM - 7:42 AM MST
      Fusion Outcomes Following PEEK/Carbon Fiber Instrumentation and Perioperative Radiation in Oncologic Spine Surgery

      Presenting Author: Gavril Rosoklija, MD – Albany Medical Center

    • 7:42 AM - 7:45 AM MST
      What Are the Rates and Reasons for Reoperation After Surgery for Grade 2 and 3 Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: An Analysis of the Quality Outcomes Database With 2-Year Follow-up

      Presenting Author: Mark N. Pernik, MD – University of Tennessee Health Science Center / Semmes Murphey Clinic, Memphis, TNMD

    • 7:45 AM - 7:48 AM MST
      The Effects of Nontobacco Nicotine Dependence on Outcomes After Posterior Lumbar Decompression and Fusion

      Presenting Author: Nithin Gupta, DO – Jefferson Health NJ

    • 7:48 AM - 7:51 AM MST
      Linking the Scoliosis Research Society-22 to PROMIS Domains in Adult Symptomatic Lumbar Scoliosis

      Presenting Author: Conner D. Ahlgren, MD – UC San Diego Health

    • 7:51 AM - 7:54 AM MST
      Impact of GLP-1 Therapy on Fusion and Postoperative Outcomes in Single-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

      Presenting Author: Trevor Luck, MD – St. Luke's University Hospital

    • 7:54 AM - 7:57 AM MST
      Predicting the Need for Syrinx Shunting After Posterior Fossa Decompression in Chiari I Malformation: A Real-World Data Analysis of Surgical Failure

      Presenting Author: Rahim Abo Kasem, MD – University of Louisville

    • 7:57 AM - 8:00 AM MST
      Effect of Stereotactic Radiosurgery on Tumor Control and Vertebral Stability in Craniovertebral Junction Metastases

      Presenting Author: Daniel T. Lilly, MD – Cleveland Clinic

    • 8:00 AM - 8:03 AM MST
      Noninvasive Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Mitigating Inflammation and Pain After Long-Segment Spinal Fusion

      Presenting Author: Alexander T. Yahanda, MD, MPHS – Washington University School of Medicine

    • 8:03 AM - 8:06 AM MST
      Clinical Outcomes Following Transposition of the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve: A Prospective Case Series

      Presenting Author: Darius Ansari, MD – University of Wisconsin

    • 8:06 AM - 8:09 AM MST
      Piezo 1-Dependent Mechanotransduction as a Target to Improve Minimally Invasive Spinal Fusion

      Presenting Author: Ian Connolly, MD, MS – MGH

    • 8:09 AM - 8:12 AM MST
      Perceptions of Professional Climate and Collaboration: A National Survey of Diversity and Inclusion in Spine Surgery and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

      Presenting Author: Rahim Abo Kasem, MD – University of Louisville

    • 8:12 AM - 8:15 AM MST
      Impact of Readily Available No-Cost Spine Implants on Surgical Delays after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Tanzania

      Presenting Author: Chibuikem A. Ikwuegbuenyi, MD – Department of Neurological Surgery, Och Spine at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York

    • 8:15 AM - 8:18 AM MST
      Association of Tranexamic Acid With Blood Loss and Transfusion in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Emulated Target Trial Analysis

      Presenting Author: Syed I. Khalid, MD – University of Illinois at Chicago

    • 8:18 AM - 8:21 AM MST
      Virtual Reality Training Improves Freehand Pedicle Screw Placement: A High-Fidelity Validation Study in Neurosurgical Trainees

      Presenting Author: Steve Cho, MD – Barrow

    • 8:24 AM - 8:27 AM MST
      Impact of Different Osteoporosis Treatments on Endplate Changes and Their Correlation with Trabecular Vertebral Bone, as Measured by Hounsfield Units

      Presenting Author: Zachary Pennington, MD – Mayo Clinic

    • 8:27 AM - 8:30 AM MST
      Distal Extension Rates After Lower Instrumented Vertebrae of L4/L5

      Presenting Author: Tejas Subramanian, MD – University of Chicago